Growth and fruit characteristics in Rosa canina L.

Abstract

This study was conducted to determine the morphological and pomological variation within natural populations of Rosa canina L. in the Sarıveliler district of Karaman Province, Turkey. A total of 150 randomly selected individuals were evaluated for plant height (PH), crown diameter (CD), fruit length (FL), fruit width (FWi), and fruit weight (FWe). The collected data were analyzed using analysis of variance and phenotypic correlation analysis. The results revealed significant differences both among plants and within individuals in terms of fruit characteristics. Plant height (207.41 cm) and crown diameter (130.62 cm) exhibited high coefficients of variation (39.6% and 42.6%, respectively), while fruit weight showed 26.7% variation. Strong positive correlations were observed between flower length and fruit width (r = 0.750) as well as fruit weight (r = 0.878). In addition, significant correlations were identified between plant height and flower length (r = 0.375), and between plant height and fruit weight (r = 0.256). These findings demonstrate strong relationships between morphological and pomological traits in R. canina, and indicate substantial phenotypic diversity within natural populations. The results provide important insights for the conservation of the species as a genetic resource and its potential use in agricultural applications.